Spyro Reiginted Trilogy Review!! This dragon is on fire!!

He’s back! And better than ever! The purple fire breather is back for more Gnorc bashing, high flying, sheep burning adventure. Spyro Reignited Trilogy takes what made us fall in love with him and amplifies it. The game collects the original trilogy – Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, Spyro: Year of the Dragon – into a package that is sure to please long-time fans. The original three PlayStation titles were praised for their rendered graphics, expansive environments, and gameplay. Spyro Reignited Trilogy takes all of that and bumps it up ten. Everything is richer with even greater detail than before. Each stage has been a face lift. The Dark Hollow now looks like a large library, Town Square is even more reminiscent of Madrid, Spain with greater detailing on the roof and buildings, and the grass in Stone Hill looks perfectly manicured, putting other lawns to shame. Probably the best aspect of this upgrade are the dragons that Spyro rescues after being encased in crystal. Each has their own appearance and personality instead of being palette swaps of each other. There is even more interaction between the dragons and Spyro. Once their conversation is over, the dragons fly away in a flash of light rather than teleport ala Star Trek. Smaller details also stand out such as the grass being scorched whenever Spyro breathes fire and the sheep standing in place awkwardly after their wool is burned away before they themselves fade away.

Activision and Toys for Bob did an excellent job of mapping the controls of the original games and even integrating usage of the analog sticks for movement and camera control. This means that there is nothing new for older players to learn and newer players can pick up the controls easily. Plus, its great to see Spyro’s dive roll back in action. The only issue with the controls is when Spyro charges. He now tends to drift when turning corners, more so than in his original games. Other than that, the controls are responsive when it comes to flight and basic maneuverability. New additions include a map that can be displayed to guide new players through the game’s worlds. The HUB display has also been upgraded. The new pause screen shows the world name, amount of treasure, number of dragons and eggs collected. You can also revisit each world via quick travel to collect any items missed.

The large beast is even more intimidating in HD

All the sounds and music bring back memories of playing these games for the first time. Former Police drummer Stewart Copeland returns to update the music he helped compose for the PlayStation originals. His original compositions for the games were remastered by Stephan Vankov, an employee of Toys for Bob, with the option of choosing between the two soundtracks. Tom Kenny reprises his role as Spyro. Original voice actor Carlos Alazraqui portrayed him in the first game. Kenny took over the role for “Ripto’s Rage” and “Year of the Dragon.”

The battle with Toasty is hotter than ever.

In short, Spyro Reignited Trilogy is a delightful throwback to early days of the PlayStation and Sony’s entry into the console game market. It is a treat to see the purple dragon back in form, especially for fans who prefer his original design over his current Skylanders look. Who says dragons can’t be cute?

The dragons Spyro rescues have their own appearance and personalities.

Lights effects explode of the screen in the new remaster.

Luscious and vibrant. Each world is bursting with life in amazing graphical detail.